Improvement in newel-posts



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN C. AUSTIN AND JOHN B. BENNING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IM PROVEMENT IN NEWEL-POSTS.

Specification forming part of-Letters Patent No. 150,507, dated May 5,1874 application filed Y April 6, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN G. AUSTIN and JOHN B. BENNING, of Chicago, inthe county Figure l is a front elevation of a newelpost embodying ourinvention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the same taken on the lineas as drawn across Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like p arts in both figures of thedrawing.

Our invention relates to that class of newelposts having octagon sides;and its object is to so connect the same at the corners as to pre ventthe sides from springing apart; and to that end it consists in.providing corner-pieces havingprojecting tongues formed thereon, and soarranged as to fit into corresponding grooves in the edges of the sidepieces, whereby the same are firmly connected.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents the side pieces proper, whichconsist of plain strips of lumber having their edges formed at a rightangle to the plane of their sides, and so tapered as to give therequisite form to the body of the post. B is the corner-pieces, whichare so beveled on their outer edges as to fit the edges of the sidepieces when the latter are arranged in an octagon form, as shown in Fig.2. The outer surfaces of these corner'pieces project outward slightlybeyond the surface of the side pieces, and are beveled in such a manneras to form the corners of the post. The

inner sides of these cornerpieces are provided on each edge with atongue, a, which fits into a corresponding groove formed in the edge ofthe side pieces, as shown in Fig. 2. These tongues and grooves are soarranged as to be at an obtuse angle to the plane of the side pieces, bywhich means the same serve as a dovetail, which so unite the side piecesas to prevent them from drawing apart. 0 is the member which connectsthe base to the body port-ion of the post, and D is the cap, both ofwhich are inade in the usual manner.

It is seen that the corner-pieces project outward beyond the'surface ofthe side pieces, the object of which is to cause the sides to show apanel. To accomplish this fully we permanently attach the top and bottomrails d d to the surface of the sides between the cornerpieces, as shownin Fig. 1.

It is obvious that posts having the corners united, as described, aremuch stronger and more durable than those made in the usual manner-thatis to say, in which the corners are simply Initered together, and thecornerpieces forming the side rails planted upon the outer surface.

Having thus described our lllX'GlltlOH we claim The corner pieces B,provided with the tongues c (1., arranged to fit the grooves in theedges of the sidepieces A, as described, whereby the corners of the postare united, as specified.

The above specification of our invention signed by us this 30th day ofMarch, 1874.

EDWIN O. AUSTIN. JOHN B. BENNING'. Witnesses:

N. H. SHERBURNE, JAMES COLEMAN.

